The CompuCyte iCys Laser Scanning Cytometer is a versatile research imaging microscope that combines elements of flow cytometry, automated fluorescent microscopy, and image analysis. A first generation Compucyte Laser Scanning Cytometer (LSC) was purchased by the UC Davis School of Medicine in 1997 for shared use within the Optical Biology Core facility. In the last 10 years, the LSC has been actively used at UC Davis, resulting in more than 15 publications and 12 new grants using the technology. Currently, 9 funded NIH grants from 6 investigators are dependent on an operational LSC. Starting in mid-2007, the older model LSC will no longer be supported by CompuCyte, so the purchase of a new iCys LSC is essential to the completion of these funded projects. In addition, the new iCys LSC not only has an updated software and computer system, but is in an inverted microscope format, allowing new applications to include live cell imaging, 96-well plate high throughput assays, and multi-slide processing. Institutional support is provided for an extended service contract and a confocal module on the iCys LSC to allow the high-throughput quantitative analyses of small intra-nuclear spots in fluorescence in situ hybridization, sub-nuclear protein dynamics, intra-cellular inclusions, and organelle studies in primary neurons. There is no equivalent equipment on the UC Davis campus or surrounding area that would serve the quantitative imaging needs of these NIH-funded programs. The iCys LSC with confocal module will strongly impact inter-disciplinary biomedical research on the common pediatric disorders of autism and mental retardation, as well as the common age-related disorders of dementia, ataxia, blindness, cancer, and diabetes. These are common goals of the UC Davis Health System and the NIH. The placement of a shared iCys LSC imaging system in a core facility with a strong track record of support is a cost effective way of supporting NIH funded researchers at UC Davis. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]